The Black Solo Polyamorous Hijabi Amputee is tearing social media apart

The Black Solo Polyamorous Hijabi Amputee meme shows a digital drawing of the person described by the title next to a "solo poly" explainer. An Instagram user created and posted the graphic in 2020 for educational purposes, but it was repurposed as a meme in 2024 during a surge in anti-"woke" and anti-DEI sentiments in the U.S.

Critics are using it as an example of "woke signaling" or "diversity maxxing".

Meme basics:

• Meme Creator: @marjanilane
• Meme Type: Exploitable / Reaction image
• First Appearance: Sept. 2, 2020
• Origin Source: Instagram
• Used to Convey: Contempt for "wokeness"
• Peak Popularity: Nov. 2024

What is Solo Poly?

The original graphic that the meme is based on is part of a series that explains the concept of a solo polyamorous individual. Someone who is polyamorous desires, pursues, and/or engages in relationships with multiple people at the same time with all parties aware and consenting.

Polyamory can be complex and take many different forms, but often a polyamorous person will have one partner who they consider to be their "primary" or their most important relationship. That person comes first, with other partners referred to as "secondary" in priority.

The post by Instagram user @marjanilane describes a solo polyamorous or "solo poly" person as one who considers themself to be their primary. This doesn't mean that they're not committed to their relationships, but that their dynamics may look different from the typical form and focus more on romantic freedom and independence.

Why is the Black Solo Polyamorous Hijabi Amputee a meme?

One of the slides in the Instagram post features a digital drawing of a Black woman in a hijab with an artificial leg. The creator herself is a Black polyamorous woman. She does not wear a hijab in her photos nor does she reference being an amputee, but likely wanted to represent more types of people with her artwork.

Five layers of diversity is too much for some on the political right, however, and so it quickly became a meme when someone reposted the slide to Twitter.

Thousands of quote tweets have been added to the repost making simple text jokes, and others have used it to respond to tweets that they deem too "woke" for their tastes. You may also see more independent text posts referring to a "Black Solo Polyamorous Hijabi Amputee."

Origins and spread

User @marjanilane posted the educational slideshow on Sept. 2, 2020, where it gained over 2,300 likes. Here it remained, hidden from most of the internet, until the semi-popular right-wing Twitter account @QuetzalPhoenix reposted it on Nov. 15, 2024, without comment.

This post caught plenty of attention among their followers, who largely sympathize with their purported concerns about a certain type of people "invading" Europe and causing the majority of white nations within to lose their "roots." Within the next few days, quote tweets making jokes about the image would go viral across Twitter.

On Nov. 16, X.com user @sajz3zo wrote in quote retweet, "the amputee hijabi tears in my eyes," which racked up nearly 214K likes.

And on Nov. 17, user @Flavourenjoyerr quote tweeted the post with the comment, "Her being a hijabi wasn’t woke enough so they took her f*cking leg." This gained over 8.9 million views and 363,000 likes.

Cultural context: Woke and DEI

Global stressors involving the economy, military action, and climate change ramping up in the 2020s along with a backlash to the pro-diversity movements of the 2010s have culminated in a new anti-diversity push among right-wing groups.

Once called "political correctness" and then "woke" and now "DEI," any efforts to give a hand or just an acknowledgment to marginalized peoples can be subject to massive attacks. While the graphic in question was not affiliated with any private company or business, people have used the corporate term "DEI" to attack it.

Meme examples, variations, and reactions

Related memes:

• ‘That one friend that’s too woke’ memes rein in people going too far
• ‘Woke Charlotte’ turns a ‘Sex and the City’ character into a social justice warrior
• How the Bud Light boycott became a meme bonanza
• ‘Mean’ meme mocks what Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s boyfriend looks like

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